Bruce, Moron. I did not write to Wharton article. OH, so you talk shit about something you haven't even read? Intelligent.
On Aug 6, 4:56 am, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > what was the point > > I don't read your ignorant blather when the first few sentences are retarded > > some airhead who writes an article where he wants to define the word > socialism not to mean state ownership, because that is what it has always > meant and it has always ended up in bloodshed,poverty, and dictatorship, is > of no interest to me and no relevance to the world > > On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 7:30 PM, Hollywood <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > > Bruce, > > > Fine, so YOU refute the point made in the article by Wharton. > > > On Aug 5, 6:12 pm, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > > he is a religious mystic > > > > his fantasies of state-less socialism expose him as someone born with no > > > brain cells, or none that survived the dope > > > > On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 5:51 PM, Sage2 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Lone, > > > > > Your arguement as as " faux " as Obama is. Obama is a > > > > socialist, just go to his books and writings and campaign lies! > > > ******************************************************************************* > > > > > On Aug 5, 5:41 pm, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Obama's No Socialist. I Should Know. > > > > > By Billy Wharton > > > > > Sunday, March 15, 2009; Page B01 > > > > > > The question "Is Obama a socialist?" spread rapidly through a network > > > > > of rightwing blogs, conservative television outlets and alarmist > > radio > > > > > talk shows and quickly moved into the mainstream. "We Are All > > > > > Socialists Now," declared a Newsweek cover last month. > > > > > > All this speculation over whether our current president is a > > socialist > > > > > led me into the sea of business suits, BlackBerrys and self-promoters > > > > > in the studio at Fox Business News. I quickly realized that the > > > > > antagonistic anchor David Asman had little interest in exploring > > > > > socialist ideas on bank nationalization. > > > > > > For Asman, nationalization was merely a code word for socialism. > > Using > > > > > logic borrowed from the 1964 thriller "The Manchurian Candidate," he > > > > > portrayed Obama as a secret socialist, so far undercover that not > > even > > > > > he understood that his policies were de facto socialist. I was merely > > > > > a cudgel to be wielded against the president -- a physical embodiment > > > > > of guilt by association. > > > > > > The funny thing is, of course, that socialists know that Barack Obama > > > > > is not one of us. Not only is he not a socialist, he may in fact not > > > > > even be a liberal. Socialists understand him more as a hedge-fund > > > > > Democrat -- one of a generation of neoliberal politicians firmly > > > > > committed to free-market policies. > > > > > > The first clear indication that Obama is not, in fact, a socialist, > > is > > > > > the way his administration is avoiding structural changes to the > > > > > financial system. Nationalization is simply not in the playbook of > > > > > Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his team. They favor costly, > > > > > temporary measures that can easily be dismantled should the economy > > > > > stabilize. Socialists support nationalization and see it as a means > > of > > > > > creating a banking system that acts like a highly regulated public > > > > > utility. The banks would then cease to be sinkholes for public funds > > > > > or financial versions of casinos and would become essential to > > > > > reenergizing productive sectors of the economy. > > > > > > The same holds true for health care. A national health insurance > > > > > system as embodied in the single-payer health plan reintroduced in > > > > > legislation this year by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), makes > > > > > perfect sense to us. That bill would provide comprehensive coverage, > > > > > offer a full range of choice of doctors and services and eliminate > > the > > > > > primary cause of personal bankruptcy -- health-care bills. > > > > > > Obama's plan would do the opposite. By mandating that every person be > > > > > insured, ObamaCare would give private health insurance companies > > > > > license to systematically underinsure policyholders while cashing in > > > > > on the moral currency of universal coverage. If Obama is a socialist, > > > > > then on health care, he's doing a fairly good job of concealing it. > > > > > > Issues of war and peace further weaken the commander in chief's > > > > > socialist credentials. Obama announced that all U.S. combat brigades > > > > > will be removed from Iraq by August 2010, but he still intends to > > > > > leave as many as 50,000 troops in Iraq and wishes to expand the war > > in > > > > > Afghanistan and Pakistan. > > > > > > A socialist foreign policy would call for the immediate removal of > > all > > > > > troops. It would seek to follow the proposal made recently by an > > > > > Afghan parliamentarian, which called for the United States to send > > > > > 30,000 scholars or engineers instead of more fighting forces. > > > > > > Yet the president remains "the world's best salesman of socialism," > > > > > according to Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. DeMint > > > > > encouraged supporters "to take to the streets to stop America's slide > > > > > into socialism." Despite the fact that billions of dollars of public > > > > > wealth are being transferred to private corporations, Huckabee still > > > > > felt confident in proposing that "Lenin and Stalin would love" > > Obama's > > > > > bank bailout plan. > > > > > > Huckabee is clearly no socialist scholar, and I doubt that any of > > > > > Obama's policies will someday appear in the annals of socialist > > > > > history. The president has, however, been assigned the unenviable > > task > > > > > of salvaging a capitalist system intent on devouring itself. The > > > > > question is whether he can do so without addressing the deep > > > > > inequalities that have become fundamental features of American > > > > > society. So, President Obama, what I want to know is this: Can you > > > > > lend legitimacy to a society in which 5 percent of the population > > > > > controls 85 percent of the wealth? Can you sell a health-care reform > > > > > package that will only end up enriching a private health insurance > > > > > industry? Will you continue to favor military spending over > > > > > infrastructure development and social services? > > > > > > My guess is that the president will avoid these questions, further > > > > > confirming that he is not a socialist except, perhaps, in the > > > > > imaginations of an odd assortment of conservatives. Yet as the > > > > > unemployment lines grow longer, the food pantries emptier and health > > > > > care scarcer, socialism may be poised for a comeback in America. > > > > > > Obama a socialist? > > > > > By Scot Lehigh > > > > > Globe Columnist / March 11, 2009 > > > > > > OF ALL THE inane accusations about President Obama, the silliest has > > > > > to be this: The president is a socialist. > > > > > > Obama's plans are "one big down payment on a new American socialist > > > > > experiment," asserts House minority leader John Boehner. He's "the > > > > > world's best salesman of socialism," says Republican Senator Jim > > > > > DeMint. > > > > > > "Lenin and Stalin would love this stuff," declares Mike Huckabee. > > Sean > > > > > Hannity derides his agenda as "socialism you can believe in." Obama > > is > > > > > "a radical communist," warns kooky Alan Keyes. > > > > > "Epithets are substituting for thinking," observes Marc Landy, > > > > > professor of political science at Boston College. > > > > > > Are they ever. > > > > > > That has long been the case across vast realms of conservative talk > > > > > radio, of course. I recently heard one of our local luminaries who > > > > > regularly accuses Obama of Marxism offering a similar sort of > > > > > indispensable insight on another critical issue: Michelle Obama's > > > > > appearance during her husband's speech to Congress. The first lady's > > > > > face resembled that of a camel, while her body looked like the > > Liberty > > > > > Bell wrapped in purple, said WTKK's Jay Severin, who, hilariously, > > > > > fancies himself a political polymath leading a rarefied radio > > > > > discussion. (Severin imagines any number of things about himself that > > > > > are at considerable variance with the truth.) > > > > > > So let's examine the matter. One defining aspect of socialism is > > state > > > > > ownership, control, or direction of the economy. > > > > > > By contrast, despite the excuse of a crisis, Obama has resisted calls > > > > > from both left and right to temporarily nationalize teetering banks. > > > > > Similarly, if Obama were a socialist, crypto or otherwise, he would > > > > > surely be proposing government-run healthcare, rather than an > > > > > expansion that builds upon our current hybrid model. > > > > > > Nor does his agenda compare to the democratic socialism of countries > > > > > like Denmark or Sweden, which have high taxation across a wide swath > > > > > of the population to fund a generous system of social benefits. > > > > > > "What Obama even in his wildest moments is proposing is way short of > > > > > that," notes Landy. > > > > > What's really causing conservative conniptions is that Obama wants to > > > > > tax top earners more and spend some of that revenue on benefits - > > > > > healthcare, education, tax cuts, etc. - for others. His mortgage plan > > > > > has drawn similar ire. > > > > > > But if he prevails, the two top income tax rates - 36 and 39.6 > > percent > > > > > - would still be well below those the country had for much of the > > last > > > > > six decades. The top rates were 90 percent or more from the mid-1940s > > > > > until the mid-1960s. They remained above 65 percent from the > > mid-1960s > > > > > until Ronald Reagan's presidency, when they were first cut to the 48 > > > > > to 50 percent > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
